| Sumario: | In the context of trying to improve reading proficiency in elementary school students, this study investigated the use of digital technology as part of a blended learning program, Core5, in kindergarten and first grade classes. A quasi‐experimental design compared 283 treatment students instructed in schools using Core5 with 237 control students in schools using traditional instruction in an urban school district. At the beginning of the school year, all students were pretested with Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a commonly used reading assessment. During the school year, the treatment schools implemented Core5, which includes the online component and offline teacher‐led lessons. The English Language Arts curriculum was evaluated and found to be similar across treatment and control schools. At the end of the school year, all students were post‐tested with DIBELS. Results from propensity score analyses showed that treatment students outperformed control students and that the discrepancy between treatment and control groups on post‐test scores was more pronounced when students had lower pretest scores. These outcomes point to the value of using Core5 for reading instruction in early elementary grades. Lay Description: Only one‐third of US elementary school students are proficient readers, and to address this problem, a growing number of schools are adopting blended learning programs designed to support for literacy skill growth through scaffolded online and teacher‐led offline activities.This study evaluated the effectiveness of this approach in a real‐world school setting using a quasi‐experimental design that compared students in schools using a blended learning program to students in schools using traditional English Language Arts curricula.Students in schools using blended learning outperformed students in schools using traditional curricula.These findings point to the value of blended learning in school settings.
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